Broken
by LostGirlLover
Summary: Just another idea, based on a spoiler about Kiera's reaction to her son's birthday. Tell me if you like it! Please review! If y'all like it, please let me know and tell me what you want to see later in the story so that I might add it!
1. Chapter 1: Falling Apart

Note: This is an idea about a spoiler regarding her reaction to her son's birthday and all of her other problems. Spoiler alert- I found out some things about S2, and it factors into my story. There will be mistakes. You have now been warned… Ps.- I added lines to show Kiera and Carlos's parts more clearly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Continuum and should never be allowed to because… well, just because.

* * *

Kiera walks down the street beside Carlos, towards the precinct, sipping coffee while discussing the latest Liber8 activity. "Any more gang-related activity?" Kiera asks.

"Surprisingly, no. There hasn't even been any turf problems."

Kiera is about to ask about any other attacks when she hears… "Mommy!"

Instinctively, she turns around. A little boy races towards his mother, grinning wildly, holding balloons. His mother sweeps him into her arms, just as Kiera would have with Sam. Sam… Today is his birthday, she realizes. She had lost track of the days…

Kiera remembers the promise she had made to Sam. She would never miss his birthday, not even for work. Knowing that she has broken that promise hits her in the chest harder than a sack of bricks. She has failed her little boy, her Sam. Her breath hitches, and a tear trails down her porcelain cheek. "Kiera? What's wrong?"

Kiera quickly wipes away the tear, only to have another one follow it. And another. Shaking her head at Carlos, she hurries forward, trying to stop the tears she can't control. Carlos follows, grabbing her by the shoulder to stop her. "Kiera, what's wrong?" He repeats, and she can feel that he is genuinely worried.

"Nothing," she replies, "Just allergies." It's the best excuse she could think of.

"Don't bullshit with me, partner. I know what allergies look like." Partner. The word is comforting and saddening.

"Just… leave it alone, Carlos. I'm fine." By now, she has regained control over her emotions. She manages to stop crying, for now.

* * *

Carlos frowns. "Kiera, is this about Elena? I know you guys were close, and you were really upset when we found out…" he trails off, remembering one of the only other times he'd seen his seemingly unbreakable partner cry.

* * *

"No, Carlos. It's just that today…" her voice breaks, but she continues, "Today is my son's birthday, and… and I promised him I'd always be there for him… and I'm not." The tears flood her eyes once more, overflowing yet again onto her cheeks.

Carlos takes her to the corner of the police building, which they have reached, and pulls her into his embrace yet again, like at the hospital, ignoring the looks of passerby.

"Shh… it's okay, Kiera. You can still see your son, right?" The question makes her cry harder, and the ache in her heart intensifies. She can't see her son, and… she may never see him again.

* * *

"No, Carlos, I can't see my son. You can't understand how much it..._hurts..._ to know that I will probably never see him, never hold him, or tell him that I love him just _one more time..." _Feeling broken, all she can do is weep.

* * *

As Kiera sobs into his shoulder, he tightens his grip on her, the only way he feels can comfort her now.


	2. Chapter 2: Holding it together

Note: I am a new writer, so my stories aren't that good. If you don't like how this chapter portrays the characters, tell me so that I can improve my portrayal of each character. Please review! Also, thanks to Lizzie Magnus, who was the only person to review this so far. Lizzie, thanks for the encouragement. Thanks to tiva auggie and annie hp fan, as well, the person who has kindly followed all of my stories, tells me what she thinks of my stories, and showed me the dress that Kiera will be wearing in the chapter after this.

* * *

Betty, Dillon, and Gardiner were sitting at a conference table, where the Liber8 board had been set up, waiting for Kiera and Carlos to arrive to discuss the latest Liber8 news. "Where the hell are they?" Dillon asked, getting agitated. Gardiner looked very intrigued by their lateness.

"I don't know… They are running a couple minutes late, which is fine for Carlos, but Kiera? She's never late." Betty grabs her phone. "I'll go outside and see if they are coming. If not, I'll give them a call."

Betty stands in the elevator, dozens of possible reasons why the pair had not shown up yet running through her mind. Overslept? Flat tire? Coffee stop? Ambush? The reasons got worse with every thought, running from small, harmless reasons, to possible Liber8 ambushes…

Betty hurries out the door and stops dead in her tracks. Well, at least I found them, she thinks. Kiera is steadily sobbing into Carlos's shoulder, as he hugs her, trying to soothe her. It could be worse, she realizes. "Umm… Carlos? Kiera? We were just waiting for you inside… You know, to discuss Liber8. Gardiner's in there."

* * *

At the sound of Betty's voice, Kiera pulls away from Carlos, trying to compose herself at the threat that Gardiner was waiting inside, and she needed to be in control of her emotions when she talked to him. "Hey, Betty."

"Kiera… Are you ok?" Now this was a reason she had not anticipated.

"I'm fine, Betty. Thank you." She smiles, but her smile looks sad, mournful.

"Kiera, you don't have to come in today. I'll cover for you with Gardiner, if you want," Carlos offers, a hand still on her shoulder.

"That would only make him ask more questions. I'll be fine. Now, shall we?"Carlos leads her into the building, his hand slipping from her shoulder to clasp her hand in a comforting, almost unconscious move. The three of them ride the elevator in silence.

When the doors open and the trio begin to walk towards the conference room, Kiera pulls her hand out of Carlos's, though she wished she didn't have to. But if she hadn't, Gardiner would've noticed for sure, and that man could make a big deal out of the tiniest thing. She pulls ahead of the group to distance herself further from Carlos. As she expected, when Gardiner comes into view, he is already watching for her to appear.

"Agent Cameron, Agent Fonnegra, how kind of you to finally join us. Where were you?" Agent Gardiner asks, obviously trying to pry yet again.

Kiera holds up her coffee. "Coffee run."

Gardiner still looks suspicious. Kiera smirks. "Were you expecting me to say something else?"

He glares. "Enough," Dillon interrupts, "We are here to talk about Liber8, not Agent Cameron and Detective Fonnegra's whereabouts. That is not relevant to the Liber8 investigation."

"So far, there has been very little Liber8 activity," Kiera says,"Liber8 may be planning something big, seeing as how they have been quiet lately."

"Do you know what they're planning?" Gardiner asks, obviously implying once more that she was a member of Liber8.

"No. Should I?" Kiera replies, faintly annoyed by the man's persistence in trying to accuse her of working with Liber8.

He doesn't reply. Kiera turns to Dillon. "Anything else, sir?"

"Yes. The chief's retirement gala is tonight. We are all attending. It starts at 9. Don't be late." Ahh… the chief's 'retirement,' which had been forced. Kiera nods to Dillon and walks away.

Carlos follows her. "You ever been to one of these before?"

"No. Is there anything I should know?" The doors of the elevator slide shut. Kiera hits the button for the ground floor.

"Yeah. This will be a formal occasion, so you're going to need to get dressed up."

Kiera raises an eyebrow. "And what I'm wearing now will not do?" she jokes.

Carlos smiles. "Sorry, but no. You're going to need a dress."


	3. Chapter 3: The Gala

Note: This will not be the best chapter! I am a new writer, as you all know. I tried my best! Thanks to anybody who has read and/or reviewed my story so far! You guys are the best! Still, please keep reviewing! Also, if you want to see Kiera's outfit, I have posted links on my profile!

* * *

Kiera walks down the sidewalk, holding her phone to her ear as she talks to Alec. "What kind of dress do you think I should get?" she muses.

"I'm not exactly an expert on these things, but you should get one of those… showy dresses…" Alec sounds amused.

"Why?" she can tell he is thinking of something.

"Hey, if Gardiner wants to watch you so badly, let's give him something to look at." Alec chuckles.

"Thanks, Alec." She laughs, but a hint of sadness creeps back into her voice.

"Kiera… You'll get back to your family, I promise."

"When, Alec? With every day that passes, I find myself losing hope. What if Travis was right? What if the future has already been changed?"

"And what if he was wrong, Kiera? You can't know for sure. There is still a chance. Now, what about that dress?" Alec says, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'll look for one, Alec. Thanks."

* * *

Hours later, Kiera stands in front of the mirror in her room, smoothing down her dress. The dress is black, with slanted ruffles on the skirt, ending just above her knees. The dress is V-necked, exposing a moderate amount of her pale skin, which contrasts sharply with the black fabric. The straps of the dress are thicker than spaghetti straps, but aren't quite sleeves. A black sash, with a silver decorative piece in the middle, pulls the dress in slightly above her waist. A silver necklace with black onyx beads and a black teardrop pendant hangs from her neck. Matching silver earrings with black teardrops dangle from her ears. Strappy black heels make her look slightly taller. Most of her dark hair is pinned up, yet several wisps of hair frame her face. Mascara and red lipstick complete the look. "Are you sure about this, Alec?" Kiera doesn't feel exactly comfortable wearing such a… bold outfit.

"Let me see…" She can tell that he is shocked by his gasp. Kiera turns away from the mirror so that he can no longer see her.

"So, what do you think?"

"I… uhh…" Alec stutters, "Perfect. You look really nice, Kiera."

"Thanks. I'll be going to the gala now, if you want to stick around."

"Definitely. I can't wait to see everyone's reaction when you walk through the door."

* * *

Carlos is at the foot of the steps, next to Betty, both waiting for Kiera to show up. He wants to see how she interpreted the whole dress thing. Betty asks him, "Carlos, where's Kiera?"

"She just texted me. She should be here soon." Just then, Betty looks up at the stairs. She looks shocked.

"Carlos…" she hits his arm several times, "Carlos, I think Kiera's here."

Kiera stands at the top of the stairs, looking polished and beautiful. Her outfit differs sharply from her normal clothes, which are usually casual and not… well, not like this. This was completely unexpected. She wears a knee-length black dress, which hugs her slender frame. The black teardrop pendant of her necklace draws everyone's gaze to the V-neck of her dress. The hair that escapes her updo make her look slightly disheveled, but it also makes her look more attractive. She walks down the steps towards Carlos, her heels clicking on the marble.

Kiera stops in front of him, her sky-blue eyes seeming more vivid than ever, framed by her thick, mascara-lined lashes. She smiles, a real smile, one that is radiant and sweet,"Hey. You clean up nicely, partner."

"You look nice too, Kiera." Carlos is still in shock. Kiera is… gorgeous.

Betty compliments Kiera, "You look really nice, Kiera. I mean _really_ nice. Just about everyone is looking at you."

Kiera's cheeks flush, a rosy pink against her snowy skin. "Thanks, Betty. You look nice too."

"No problem, Kiera. Well, I'm off to get a drink." Betty walks away, headed for a server carrying a tray of champagne.

* * *

"I'll see you around, Carlos," Kiera says as she walks away to wander the large room.

"Alec, are you there?" Kiera asks softly as she walks through the crowd, not really knowing where she is going.

"Yeah, Kiera. Have you seen Gardiner yet?"

"Do you want me to run into him or something?" Kiera is amused by Alec's hope of seeing Gardiner's reaction to her outfit.

"Of course I do!" Alec laughs evilly, "He won't know what hit him…"

Kiera laughs, her mood lifting as she talks to Alec. "Don't get your hopes up, Alec. Gardiner could care less what I wear."

"Does he have eyes?"

"Yes."

"Is he gay?"

"I don't think so… Alec, where are you going with this?"

"I'm just saying. He's a guy, he's got eyes, and he isn't gay. He's going to notice you." Alec sounds smug.

Kiera knows just how to get back at him. "Like you noticed Emily from the coffee shop? I know you guys went out on a date…"

"Hey, I'm just pointing out the obvious. And how would you know I was on a date?"

Kiera smirks. "Please, Alec. You were itching to ditch me the entire time I was trying to talk to you. You had _plans_." Kiera says, emphasizing 'plans' in a teasing, practically sing-song way.

Before Alec can respond, she hears somebody else call her name. She turns to find Carlos approaching her. "We need to talk. Do you mind?"

"No, not at all." Kiera follows him to a corner of the room.

"Kiera, I need you to explain some things to me. Ever since you showed up…" he begins, just as Kiera catches sight of Gardiner, who is looking their way.

"Crap. Carlos, Gardiner is looking this way. Do you think we could do this later?" Kiera sees Gardiner wandering closer, probably hoping to overhear their conversation. Kiera was not in the mood to worry about Gardiner watching her right now.

"I have an idea. Come on," he pulls her towards the dance floor.

Alec is laughing hysterically in her head, finding the whole situation hilarious. Kiera wishes she could tell him to shut up.

Kiera follows Carlos's lead, and they dance around other couples, getting further away from Gardiner. "I didn't know you could dance, Carlos." she remarks, slightly surprised. Carlos just didn't seem the type to dance. And as for her, well, she was learning now.

"I don't. I'm just doing what everyone else is doing." Well, that's entertaining, Kiera thinks.

"Oh. What did you want to talk about, anyway?"

"Kiera, there are so many things I have to ask you. First of, what did you mean when you said that you couldn't see your son? Is your ex keeping him away from you?"

"I… Carlos, there are just some things that I can't explain right now.."

"Is there anything you can explain? I understand that some things are classified, but is everything classified? Even your family? Kiera, do you trust me?"

"I do, I really do, Carlos. I would trust you with my life. But…" she struggles with herself for a moment, wondering how to say something without revealing too much or sounding crazy, "You wouldn't understand."

Always choosing the wrong moment to make a clever quip, Alec snorts, "That's an understatement."

"Try me." His eyes are pleading, begging her to tell him something, anything.

Kiera looks away from his gaze. "I can't."

"Can't or won't?" His tone isn't accusing, or angry. Simply hurt, sad.

She pulls away from him, letting go of his hand. His arm falls from her waist. "Sometimes, it's a little bit of both. I'm sorry, Carlos."

Kiera hurries away, leaving Carlos alone, disappearing into the flow of twirling dancers, who are all oblivious to what has just occurred.


	4. Chapter 4: Questions

Note: I'm back! School is over, so I'll be able to post more! Still, I'm fairly new, and a little bit rusty! Tell me what y'all think! I can always use suggestions! Be nice and leave a review, please!

* * *

Kiera sits on the floor of an empty hallway, wondering how she would be able to avoid Carlos's questions again. "What am I going to do about him, Alec?" she sighs.

"Well, maybe you could tell him…" Alec says.

"Tell him what, exactly? That I'm from 2077, and was sent here via time machine along with several members of Liber8? He would put me in a mental hospital on the spot!"

"There are some people who might understand. Given all the weird things that Carlos has been through with you that he couldn't explain, he might believe you."

"He won't," Kiera replies glumly, staring at the floor.

"How do you know?"

"When we lost Travis… Well, before that, during transport, Travis revealed a lot… Nearly too much, but I passed it off as crazy talk. If I tell Carlos the truth, he won't believe me. Nobody will. Gardiner didn't," she says.

"Wait…" Kiera's words took some time to sink in, "You told Gardiner? Of all the people you could tell, you chose HIM?"

"Well, yes. He didn't believe me. It's ironic, really. He's always asking me for the truth, but when I told him, he didn't believe me." Kiera says this casually, hoping to make it sound like no big deal.

"I can't believe you, Kiera. I thought you'd tell Carlos before Gardiner. I mean, Carlos is your partner! But Gardiner is just a nosy CSIS agent." Alec says, chastising her.

"I know that Carlos is my partner… I just… I just can't do it right now."

Alec uses Carlos' words against her, "Can't or won't?"

Kiera's temper flares up. "I can't, okay! And I won't! He wouldn't understand!"

"Kiera-"

"No! I thought you understood, but you don't either! Nobody does!" Kiera pauses, "Do you want to know the truth, Alec?" she says, her voice dangerously low.

Thinking of nothing else to say, Alec whispers back, slightly scared, "Sure."

"One of the hardest things a mother can go through is the death of her child. But not knowing _anything_ about your child is so much worse. Is he alive? Is he okay? Is he dead? Every day, it gets harder and harder to ignore the crushing weight of all of these questions. Every day it gets harder and harder to make myself keep going. Because I know that my choices could hurt him. I know that just being here _is _hurting him. And I don't think I can live with that. Everything is slipping out of my grasp, and soon, I won't be able to hold onto myself. That's the truth, Alec." Her voice is so soft that Alec can barely hear her. But he does hear her begin to cry.

* * *

Feeling horribly guilty for making her upset, he sits in silence, not knowing what to say, listening to her quiet sobs.

Finally, Kiera speaks again, "Just go, Alec. Please, just leave me alone."

"Kiera," he has no idea how to fix this.

"Please." Hearing this, Alec complies, taking off his earpiece. For once, the amazing tech that surrounds him does nothing to comfort him now. It was his tech that caused this, his tech that separated Kiera from her son, Sam. It was all his fault.

* * *

Even though Kiera wanted to be left alone, the silence bothers her. The questions that she was forced to bring up while talking to Alec are all that she can think about now. The crushing weight of those questions is now even heavier than before. And the burden of the rest of her secrets is no easy load, either.


	5. Chapter 5: Forgiveness

Note: I know this is late, and is probably not a great chapter, but I've been struggling with some things lately, so I've had a tough time focusing on my writing. Still, many thanks to all of you who've read this, and those of you who come back to read more. It really means a lot to me. And more thanks to those who've reviewed this story. Remember, I'm ALWAYS open to suggestions, so leave a review, and I'll see what I can do with your suggestions to improve my writing. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Wiping away tears, Kiera stands and heads for the door leading back to the gala. She opens the door and steps out, only to bump right into Carlos. He grabs her forearms and steadies her as she stumbles back. "Kiera," He says, "I was just looking for you."

"Well, you found me," she says, pulling her arms out of his grip and starting to walk away.

To her annoyance, he follows her. "Kiera, wait. I'm sorry if I was asking too many questions.

"Too many questions? No, Carlos, you didn't just ask too many questions. You asked me all the wrong ones. All the ones that I can't answer."

"But why can't you answer them? Can you at least answer me this?" He pleads.

She stops abruptly, closing her eyes in an effort to hold back the tears that were starting to form yet again. "Carlos, I can't answer them because I… I don't know the answer to them myself," she says softly, sadness and truth ringing in her words.

"Kiera, I'm so sorry. I didn't know… Are you angry at me?" He asks hesitantly, waiting for her response.

"Not... much," she replies, opening her eyes to look at him, sincerity in her sapphire eyes.

"Forgive me? I promise to stop asking my questions until you are ready to answer them."

Kiera knows how hard that would be for an inquisitive man like Carlos to offer that instead of pushing forward. "You're on probation, partner," she responds, smiling softly to show him that she was no longer angry.

* * *

For the rest of the gala, including the chief's speech, Carlos is glued to her side, possibly in an attempt to make further amends. Kiera finds his persistence sweet, in a way. Carlos could be surprisingly gentlemanly when he felt like it. He isn't completely rough around the edges, she decides, smiling slightly at the sudden thought. "What are you smiling about, Kiera?" Carlos questions playfully, grinning at her.

"You," she answers simply, a coy smile dancing on her lips, egging him on.

"Me? I'm not sure whether to feel complimented or offended," he jokes, taking the bait.

"Trust me, it's complimented… I think," she smirks, looking up at him sideways, teasing him further.

"You think?" he laughs, "What is it?"

"Oh, just the thought that you aren't as gruff as you seem," she says airily, "You can actually be quite charming," she finishes fondly, an affectionate gleam twinkling in her sky-colored eyes.

"Really? Charming? Well, I guess you're not too bad yourself." He chuckles.

"Yeah, thanks," she replies, sarcasm creeping into her tone. Sarcasm? Was she really using sarcasm? Being here _was_ changing her.

"I'm just kidding, Kiera. You look beautiful tonight when you're all dressed up."

"Oh, only when I'm all dressed up? What about on a normal day?" She says, acting mock offended.

"Kiera, you know I didn't mean that. On any other day, you look just as stunning as you do right now," his tone no longer teasing, but genuine, and, (Could it be?), just a little bit flirty.

Alec would've died if he had been watching. Oh no... Alec. She'd been so rude to him. This new line of thought wiped the smile off of her face. "Hey, Kiera, you okay?" Had she been offended by what he'd said?

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just tired. I think I'll go home now."

"Hey, how did you get here?"

"I didn't feel like driving, so I took a taxi. Why?" she tilts her head in a questioning manner.

"I could drive you," he offers, proving to be as gentlemanly as she'd thought.

She hesitates, not wanting to impose on his kindness. "Come on," he coaxes,"It's the least I can do, especially since I'm still on probation, right?"

Kiera's lovely smile quickly returns,"All right." she relents, thoughtfully pondering the fact that Carlos could so easily change her mood in his subtle way. A talent, she realizes, that is also wielded expertly by Alec, with his witty remarks and the way that he so easily laughed at her inexperience with things from this time without truly offending her. Tomorrow, she'd have to make it up to Alec somehow. Little did she know that Alec was already planning to make it up to her by removing one worry from her list- Carlos.


End file.
